Spider One's vocals seem to have matured and deepened, showcasing his musical growth.
Continuing the transformation from electro-techno rockers on 1999's Tonight the Stars Revolt to more mainstream punk rock such as 2003's release, Transform, Powerman 5000 now brings to us Destroy What You Enjoy. Shedding even more of their electronic rhythms for more honest, crunchy guitar riffs, the band has churned out an impressive arsenal of bone-crushing rock anthems.
The band's lineup seems to have a built-in revolving door as they say goodbye to guitarists Adam Williams (Adam 12) and Mike Tempsta (M.33). When those two left, it made room for Johnny Heatley (Johnny Rock) and Terry Corso—ex-Alien Ant Farm—to come on board. Normally, when bands make too many lineup changes, the music suffers. In PM5K's case, however the music becomes inherently more interesting.
The leadoff single, "Wild World," is a decent enough rocker, but it isn't the best track on the album. Spider One's vocals seem to have matured and deepened, however, showcasing his musical growth. The song serves as a nice jumping-off point, as the rest of the tracks pick up the pace and showcase the band's talent. The band offers up tracks to mosh pit-friendly rockers with "Murder" and "Now That's Rock 'n' Roll. Not the kind of band to rest on their asses, PM5K keep the adrenaline rushing with the rip-and-burn rockers, "Return to the City of the Dead" and the title track.
Two of the more impressive songs which highlight the band's maturity while still capturing their intense energy are "All My Friends Are Ghosts" and "Enemies." Both are well written and filled with ear-catching musicality. On "Enemies," Spider One spouts off: "I'm a punk, I'm a king, I'm a coward/Full of promise and destiny/But you don't understand me anyway (that's okay)." Both songs are cradled within invigorating, hard-pounding rhythms, creating some of the best work from the band's repertoire.
Sadly, the one clunker on the album comes when the band tries to slow things down. On "Miss America," the band opts for a twangy, dismal look at America. The cautionary tale may have some morsels of truth to it, but the style doesn't fit with the rest of the album. Live track "Heroes and Villans" offers a small glimpse of the band's blazing live show.
Destroy What Your Enjoy marks PM5K's triumphant return to the rock mainstream and serves as a big rock 'n' roll middle finger to everybody who thought this band would curl up in a ball and fade away.
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